Petr Yan: the Bantamweight Champion Before the Dvalishvili Trilogy

Record

Twenty wins and five losses. Of the wins, seven came by knockout, one by submission and twelve on the cards, so 60 % of his victories needed the judges. The losses are unusual for a champion: four decisions, two of them split, and a disqualification in a fight he was winning on two of three cards.

Before the UFC he fought mostly for ACB in Russia and won its bantamweight title. His only loss there was a split decision to Magomed Magomedov in 2016, which he reversed a year later.

What is known about Petr Yan

Wikipedia describes him as a switch-stance striker whose game rests on compact boxing, pressure footwork and a high guard. UFC.com lists his style simply as “Boxer”. The numbers on his UFC profile fit that picture:

• 5.16 significant strikes landed per minute against 4.24 absorbed, at 55 % accuracy. He lands more than he takes, but he does take shots.
• 86 % takedown defence. For a striker in a division full of wrestlers, this is the number that holds his game together.
• Average fight time 17:38. That is longer than three full rounds, a reflection of how many of his fights are five-round title bouts that reach the cards.
• Four wins in a row, fifteen of his last nineteen, per the fighter facts on UFC.com.

The strength is that he lasts. His title win over José Aldo came by stoppage in the fifth round, and three of his UFC wins went the full five rounds. The weakness, if there is one, is volume against pressure: in March 2023 Dvalishvili attempted 49 takedowns on him, still the UFC record for a single bout according to Wikipedia. Yan wrestles more than his label suggests, with trips and throws from the clinch and 1.7 takedowns per 15 minutes, but his game is built to keep the fight standing, and close fights against him are decided on whether it stays there.

Petr Yan is also a fighter whose results have often been closer than the scorecards suggested. Wikipedia notes that most media scorers had him winning the O'Malley fight he lost on a split decision. For betting, that matters in one way: his decisions are rarely one-sided, so the method market deserves more attention than the moneyline.

Yan vs Dvalishvili 3 at UFC 333: chances and why

Our estimate: Petr Yan wins 55 % of the time, a fair price of about 1.82 (roughly 4/5). This is our estimate, not a bookmaker price. Dvalishvili's side of that is 45 %, about 2.22.

Why we lean to the champion, narrowly:

1. The rematch was not close on the cards. The judges scored UFC 323 49–46, 49–46 and 48–47 for Yan. The first fight was decided by Dvalishvili's wrestling; the second went the other way on all three cards. A third fight against the same opponent rarely produces a completely new style.
2. Takedown defence. An 86 % rate across his UFC career is high, and Dvalishvili's game depends on volume of attempts. Our view: if the takedowns do not land, the fight becomes a striking contest, and that favours Yan.
3. Age. Petr Yan is 33. Dvalishvili was born in January 1991 and is 35. Both fight at a high pace, and a small decline matters most in the championship rounds.
4. Against us: Dvalishvili's record. He holds the UFC records for most takedowns landed (119) and most unanimous decision wins (12), defended the title three times in 2025, and before UFC 323 had won fourteen in a row. He is not a challenger who needs a lucky shot.
5. Against us: the first fight. Dvalishvili won it clearly. A one-all series means the market has two very different results to read, and our 55 % reflects that.

Our view on how it ends: both meetings went the full 25 minutes, Yan has twelve of twenty wins on the cards and Dvalishvili sixteen of twenty-one. A decision is the likeliest finish by some distance.

How to bet on Petr Yan

Moneyline. The simplest bet. Turn the quoted price into a percentage with our odds calculator and compare it with the 55 % above. If the price implies more than that, the bet has no value by our numbers.

Method of victory. “Yan by decision” is the market where our view and the price are most likely to differ. With two five-round decisions behind this rivalry, a knockout price on either side needs to be long to be worth it.

Fight goes the distance. A yes-or-no version of the same question. Our view favours yes.

Round betting and total rounds. In a five-round fight the longest total rounds line is usually 4.5. Under 4.5 needs a finish that neither earlier fight produced.

Live betting between rounds. The first round shows quickly whether the takedowns are landing. If Dvalishvili cannot get Yan down early, the price on Yan tends to shorten; if he can, it drifts. Our guide to betting in-play covers how markets suspend and reopen between rounds.

The other champions in this series of profiles are Joshua Van at flyweight and Kayla Harrison. For how each UFC market settles, including what happens if a fighter misses weight, read our UFC betting guide.

Where to watch

UFC 333 is broadcast through the UFC's own channels and national broadcasters, which differ by country; in the United States, the event listing shows the card on Paramount+. Check the UFC website for the rights holder where you live.

Some betting sites also show events inside your account once you are logged in, and we have picked out sites that do. Which fights are covered changes from one site to the next and from one card to another, so look at the event list before fight night rather than during the walkouts.

Before you bet

Title fights in the UFC are still subject to late changes. If either fighter withdraws, most sites void the bet; if a replacement steps in, a new market opens. Set a stake you can lose on a single fight, and see our responsible gambling page if betting stops being fun.

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